Near Amberley, in North Canterbury, there is an interesting place to visit. Iron Ridge Quarry is owned by Raymond and Sue Herber. You can find their details here. Raymond is one of those clever people who makes things. He bought a disused limestone quarry and turned it into a sculpture park. It took years of hard work, and you can read about that on his website. He is quite a character and had our group highly entertained with a demonstration of blacksmithing and tales of his efforts to turn the quarry into a place to live and work. He made a knife as he talked, which he called a cheese knife and I bought it, not just because Raymond made it in front of us, but because I like interesting bits and pieces which are useful for food photography. Some of our group had been there before and that time he made a poker for the fire, so he decided to make something different this time. We took a picnic lunch and everyone enjoyed the peace and quiet. Later, as Raymond demonstrated making the knife later, the peace was disturbed as the hammering rang out around the quarry walls. He had a big double set of gates underway out the back, which will be spectacular when they are finished. Check their hours of opening here. It was a great day out. Thank you Raymond.
The finished knife. It is 20cm long (nearly 8" for you imperial lot out there), feels nice in the hand and looks like it will last a while. Raymond made it look so easy, as he chatted to our group and engaged in the friendly banter as he formed the knife from the steel, returning it often to the forge to withdraw it red hot and hammer some more.
Raymond Herber, with the freshly minted cheese knife in his hand.
Raymond's forge.
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